THE HSBC in Ewell Village is set to close down as bosses claim the branch's custom has dropped dramatically.

The High Street bank will cease trading on September 13 in what the company has said "wasn't any easy decision to make".

AG Wilson, who lives in Ewell, said: "This HSBC was one of the reasons we moved here 12 years ago in 2000, along with the libraries and chemist. My wife banks with them, but I don't. I doubt it will make much difference to me."

Business man Ahsan Aslam, who works in the village, said: "I haven't seen any other HSBCs in the area so it will be a bit of walk to get another trusted ATM.

"There are a few in the area that have been tampered with. This one was on my way to work so now I'll have to go up the road instead."

Mr Adigilio, who declined to give his first name lives round the corner from the bank. He echoed the view of a number of people who spoke to Get Surrey when he said: "I've never used it. It just blends into the background - I go up the road to Sainsbury's or Barclays. It's not really needed."

A spokesperson for HSBC, said: "Our branches are an important way for our customers to bank with us and we are spending around £30 million each year upgrading and improving them.

"As part of this our branch in Epsom, just over one mile from Ewell, has this year been refurbished and unlike our Ewell branch, is also open on Saturdays."

"However, we need to ensure that our branches are in the right locations for our customers and on occasions this means that we need to close a branch where customer footfall has fallen dramatically or there has been a shift in customer shopping patterns. Unfortunately our branch in Ewell has seen customer usage fall very significantly over the past few years."

He explained that customers are now using internet and telephone banking a lot more and the smaller branches, such as Ewell's, are not been used as much as they have been in the past.

He added: "This wasn't an easy decision to make, but we are now working with the small number of customers who use the branch to help and advise them on their banking options ahead of the planned closure on September 13. Following the closure, customers will still have access to banking and ATM facilities in the village as there are 19 ATMs within a one-mile radius of Ewell."

The two members of staff who man the branch will be transferred to other local banks.